Order your food from a touch screen at the table. Awesome!!

Finally! I´ve been for decades talking about the convenience of ordering your food and drinks from a screen at the table instead of having to spend all dinner trying to get eye contact with the busy waitress, and now the time is here according to trendcentral.com. Thank you!!

"Touchscreen technology is emerging as a key device for retailers who seek to integrate a familiar sense of digital independence with a more interactive (read: immersive) in-store experience.

Barneys New York CO-OP Cafe: The CO-OP floor of Barneys New York on Madison Avenue recently re-launched with its first genes@co-op café. Traditional coffee shop vinyl booths and plastic menus have been abandoned in favor of a single glass-top banquet table containing 30 touchscreen computer tablets. Targeted at rushed shoppers, the communal table allows diners to scan the interactive menu and immediately place their orders directly from their seats. For Gen Ys who are naturally adept at multitasking, the tablets also provide them with the opportunity to read articles from the Barneys New York online publication—and, naturally, to shop the store’s inventory straight from their place settings.

 The Draqie: Getting a waiter’s or bartender’s attention during a busy weekend rush can pose a real, and often irritating, challenge. The Draqie has arrived to potentially alleviate such frustration. Part dinner table and part waiter, it’s an interactive table that provides restaurant patrons with the ability to view and order from a touch-sensitive, digitized menu. The glass surface reacts only to finger touches, meaning an accidental swipe of cutlery or dishes won’t unintentionally beckon a server. Furthermore, participating establishments can include photos and descriptions of menu items so that customers can make their selections without any fear of mystery ingredients or allergic reactions.

Read this online at trendcentral.com."


Trendwatching.com are also talking about screens as one of the big trends 2012: 

"SCREEN CULTURE is less of a trend in itself, but more the medium through which so many trends in this Trend Briefing will manifest themselves. 2012 will see three mega-tech currents converge: screens will be (even more): ubiquitous / mobile / cheap / always on; interactive and intuitive (via touchscreens, tablets and so on); an interface to everything and anything that lies beyond the screen (via the mobile web and, increasingly and finally mainstream in 2012, ‘the cloud'). In fact, the future for most devices will be a world where consumers will care less about them and just about the screen, or rather what’s being accessed through it.

So whether it’s the convergence of ‘online’ and ‘offline’ (see OFF=ON in our recent RETAIL RENAISSANCE Trend Briefing), consumers tapping into THE F-FACTOR to discover and decide on new products with the help of their friends, fans and followers, or never ending mega-trends like 'convenience' or INFOLUST, expect all consumer culture to be influenced by and take place in an all-pervasive SCREEN CULTURE.

And no, there won’t be ‘screen overload’ or ‘screen fatigue’. In fact, the above video is just a taste of things to come for digital natives in 2012 and beyond. Some random signs of the times:

• UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, in a partnership with television provider Sky, is allowing shoppers to watch key sports events while they shop using in-cart iPad docks and speakers. The Sky Go trolley comes complete with a tilting iPad holder, speakers and an onboard battery with self-charging solar panel. All sports-minded shoppers need to do is download the Sky Go streaming app onto their tablet and then load it into the shopping cart’s dock.

• South African mobile telecommunications brand 8ta installed touch-activated windows in its stores, enabling customers to browse the retailer’s catalog throughout the day and night. Using technology from digital media company One Digital Media (also based in South Africa), the store's 'whispering windows' act as speakers, allowing shoppers to hear about products, as well as view them in the storefront. In the retail space, further touchscreens utilized on product display tables and embedded in walls showcase 8ta’s products.

• In September 2011, Sichuan hotpot chain Hao Di Lao and Chinese technology firm Huaweiannounced a partnership to install telepresence screens in Hao Di Lao’s Shanghai and Beijing restaurants. Customers can sit down and share their hotpot meal with family and friends located elsewhere via the screens. Hao Di Lao customers can already use iPads provided on their tables to order food.
• And SCREEN CULTURE examples (will) keep coming. In 2012, keep an eye on the iPhone5 and iPad3. And on the Kindle Fire. And on the Aakash tablet.
  Large screens will see an overhaul too: from Apple iTV and Samsung's SmartTV, to a whole host of apps available with GoogleTV to LG's 3D projector to Sony's future TV plans.
  Oh, and with winter hitting the northern hemisphere soon, expect a comeback of Muji's andEtre's screen-friendly gloves.
  Looking further ahead, how about the OmniTouch, a wearable prototype device (from Microsoft Research Redmond) which transforms any surface into a touchscreen via projection? Or Samsung's flexible screens and screen-embedded windows? 
• Away from consumer electronics, Adidas and Intel have also showcased a Virtual Footwear Wall, enabling shoppers to browse up to 8,000 shoes at once via a touchscreen interface. Yes, SCREEN CULTURE truly is the culture ;-)"